Just when we thought that Chromebooks are in a decline and that the Samsung Chromebook priced at $249 is cheap, here comes the new Acer C7 Chromebook with a $199 price tag.
The Acer C7 Chromebook features a full-size keyboard, fully clickable trackpad, an extra bright 11.6-inch display and over 3.5 hours of battery life. It is powered by an Intel Core processor, boots up in 18 seconds and can play videos in 1080p. For storage, the C7 has a 320GB hard drive and 100GB of free storage on Google Drive for 2 years.
The Acer C7 Chromebook will be available for $199 in the U.S. on Google Play starting on November 13.
Acer C7 Chromebook specs:
11.6″ (1366×768) display
1 inch thin – 3 lbs / 1.4 kg
3.5 hours of battery
Intel® Core™ processor
320 GB Hard Disk Drive w/ 100 GB Google Drive Cloud Storage
Dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Ethernet
HD Camera
3x USB 2.0
1x HDMI Port, 1x VGA port
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In line with our review of the Nokia 808, we decided to make a separate article about the technology behind its camera to give you a better perspective on how PureView utilizes the awesome hardware of the 808.
To better understand how Nokia uses the 808’s ginormous sensor to produce stunning images, we need to take a closer look at these three key aspects; Resolution, Pixel oversampling and Lossless digital zoom.
Resolution
There are two things that we need to bear in mind when dealing with pixels in a digital camera; the input/sensor resolution and the output resolution. Input resolution is the number of available pixels in the sensor, while the latter is the actual number of pixels in an image.
The Input Resolution is constant; Output resolution on the other hand is not, but the value is dictated by Aspect Ratio you’re shooting in. In Nokia 808’s case it’s 34MP, 8MP, 5MP and 2MP at 16:9 and 38MP, 8MP, 5MP and 3MP at 4:3.
One of the most common misconceptions that people have when dealing with megapixels is that the higher the number, the better the image quality. This notion dates back to a time when the quality of the image is dependent to the number of pixels available. Although having a high output resolution does have significant effect on the quality of the image (5MP vs VGA), it doesn’t mean that a higher number will automatically yield better results.
Generally speaking, shooting at a high resolution offers more flexibility when cropping as the images are more pixel-packed. Since the sensor capture more details, the resulting image is more ideal for large-scale printing. For normal consumption (A4 printing, PC viewing, SNS usage etc.), however, a 5MP resolution should be enough to give you a satisfactory result.
Here’s a short clip to show just how good can 5MP be:
So does this mean that no one really needs a camera with more than a 5MP sensor, let alone a 41MP? Well, as mentioned by one of the head honchos at Nokia’s Imaging Technologies department, it’s not how many the pixels are, it’s how it’s being used.
Pixel Oversampling
Another false notion that people have about the 41-megapixel sensor of the Nokia PureView 808 is that it’s only meant to capture large picture. Although it’s true that shooting at a high output resolution is ideal for large-scale printing, that’s not whole story behind the 808’s big-ass sensor.
Believe it or not, the main reason why Nokia equipped the PureView 808 with a 41MP sensor is to allow users to shoot at lower output resolution without compromising the image quality through Pixel Oversampling and Subsampling (aka Downsampling).
Pixel Oversampling is referred to by Nokia as the process of combining many available pixels in the sensor to create a single (super) pixel. In essence, the technology utilizes all the available pixels in the sensor even if the user is shooting at a lower output resolution (Subsampling). Therefore, by having a high sensor resolution (41MP) and a low output resolution (in this case 8MP, 5MP or 3MP/2MP) it allows the camera to shoot images with almost the same amount of detail and signal-to-noise ratio as the images taken at a higher (38MP) output resolution, sometimes even better.
Here’s a graph that will show just how a picture taken at 2MP or 3MP may beat an image taken at 38MP in terms of image quality in some situations.
At Nokia 808’s native focal length of 8.02mm (28mm equivalent in 4:3), the 3MP has a better input to output oversampling ratio (14:1) compared to the 38MP’s 1:1 ratio. Taking Nokia’s explanation of how oversampling works in to account, an image taken at lower output resolution (2 or 3MP) should give a user the best possible result compared to other available resolutions (5, 8 and 36 or 38MP).
Besides improving the image’s signal-to-noise ratio, another benefit that pixel oversampling brings to the table is color accuracy. It aids the camera to produce a more realistic color by making the RGB pixels as close to the real thing as possible, resulting in to a more natural-looking image.
Lossless digital zoom
Another key feature of the Nokia 808’s camera is its zooming capability. Its camera, as with most digital cameras, uses digital zoom instead of optical zoom. The problem with digital zoom, however, is that it’s notorious for producing low quality image due to noise. And the closer you zoom in, the more your image suffers from noise.
But unlike typical cameras, this one zooms in by just selecting the relevant portion of the sensor instead of upscaling and cropping the image. As such, it allows the Nokia 808 to zoom in up to 3.6x on stills and 12x on clips without compromising the quality, hence the term lossless digital zooming. The zoom limit is reached once the selected area has become the same size as the sensor.
You can check out our gallery which contains the photos we took using the Nokia 808 at different zoom lengths.
PureView Pro technology
Resolution, Pixel Oversampling and Lossless Digital Zooming are the three key aspects behind the PureView Pro technology. And now that we have a bit of an overview of how each facet contributes to provide unprecedented image/video quality, let’s now look at the correlation between these three aspects.
Resolution and Zoom dictates the amount of oversampling the camera can apply to an image. If you look at the graph earlier, you’ll notice that the input to output oversampling ratio is at its highest when shooting at the lowest output resolution without zoom (14:1 @2MP) and decreases significantly as the resolution gets higher (8:1 @5MP, 5:1 @8MP and 1:1 @38MP) and the more we zoom in (2x, 3x and 3.6x). Speaking of zoom, resolution also affects the amount of zoom that users can do with the camera. At 2MP, users can zoom in up to 4x, but decreases as the resolution goes higher (5MP = 3x, 8MP = 2x and 38/36MP = 0x).
In essence, shooting at a lower output resolution with the Nokia 808 gives users the best balance between zoom and oversampling as compared to shooting at the camera’s highest resolution. We’re not saying that the images taken using the camera’s Full Resolution is less pleasing than the ones captured at a lower output resolution. However, a lower output resolution allows users to be more creative with their shots.
Conclusion
It took Nokia more than half a decade to come up with PureView technology, but we have to say that it’s definitely worth the wait. Once again, they’ve outdone themselves as well as their competitors with this remarkable imaging technology.
Nokia’s flagship devices have been known for its outstanding camera and the Nokia PureView 808 is a testament to that. It’ll be interesting to see what the Finnish company has in store for shutterbugs in the coming years and how they can apply the technology to their Lumia handsets the same as they did with the 808 or maybe even better.
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With every P2,500 minimum spend from November 13 to 19 you can buy a Krispy Kreme Holiday Collection Box for only P2.00 each!
To celebrate its 200th anniversary, Citibank entitles its credit cardholders to another round of P2.00 treats for every single-receipt purchase of at least P2,500 from November 13 to 19, 2012. Every qualified purchase entitles cardholders to a Krispy Kreme Holiday Collection Box for only P2.00.
Grab this delightful treat from November 23 to 29, 2012 at participating Krispy Kreme branches. Simply present your qualified Citibank Credit Card and pay only P2.00 for a Krispy Kreme Holiday Collection Box with six original glazed and six assorted holiday doughnuts.
Get SMS alerts on how many treats you can buy! Log on to www.citibank.com.ph and update your mobile number.
Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) signs a contract agreement with Automatic Data Processing (ADP), to lease 18,200 square meters of Gross Leasable Area (GLA) of the Glorietta 2 BPO offices starting next year. This office complex is a fully-integrated Information Technology (IT) and IT-enabled services community designed for 24×7 operations located above the centrally located new Glorietta 2 mall.
Glorietta, which is in the heart of the Makati Commercial Business District, offers premium and well-designed work spaces on top of retail. Its accessibility to the transport hub, world-class hotels, shopping, dining and entertainment choices, and residential developments makes it ADP’s top choice for its office expansion.
ADP is one of the largest providers of human capital management in the world with 600,000 clients globally. It is an easy-to-use solutions company that offers human resource, payroll, tax, and benefits administration to companies of all types and sizes. ADP also provides integrated computing solutions to vehicular and heavy equipment dealers throughout the world. The company has recently been cited as one of Forbes’ most innovative companies for 2012.
ADP has been present in the Philippines since 2010 .This expansion will allow ADP to continue their 60 years of expertise in providing value to its clients while providing more than 1,000 jobs for Filipinos.
Photo caption :
Ayala Land EVP and Group Head of Commercial Business Bernard Vincent Dy and ADP General Manager John Hickey ( center ) at the contract signing where ADP engaged Ayala Land Businesscapes’ office real estate solutions capabilities for its new offices in Glorietta. With them, seated from left to right are : Tom Mirasol, ALI AVP and Head of Office Leasing & Operations Commercial Business Group ; Rowena Tomeldan, ALI VP and Head of Operations and Support Services Commercial Business Group; and ADP General Manager; Laura Baui, ADP Senior Finance Director.
Ten years of boosting confidence and of enhancing beautiful Filipinos, Nisce Skin ‘n Face celebrates a decade of bringing out the glam in every Filipino since 2002.
Recalling the history, Nisce Skin ‘n Face has touched so many beautiful lives. The clinic was in fact a fruit of passion passed on to Atty. Blaise Nisce and Marie Antoinette Nisce by their mother Dr. Edna Talavera- Nisce. They started the business at San Fernando City, La Union, treating diseases of the skin, hair and nails back then. As a respond to the growing demand, they decided to increase their clinics putting their second in Pangasinan and eventually in Metro Manila.
The clinic offers wide range of glam treatment such as facial services, photo-remodelling LHE (Light and Heat Energy), IPL (Intense Pulse Light), collagen remodeling, peels, contour for slimming and tightening, eye bag and eye wrinkle treatment, skin whitening, and bleaching. Nisce also provide services like spa and manicure/pedicure. These are only a few services that Nisce have aside from other dermatological and skincare services.
Aside from the clinic, they also provide products as a response to the increasing needs for effective treatments. These are formulated by Dr. Edna herself and Nisce Skin ‘n Face’s world-class research and development team to suit every skin type. It is dermatologist tested and approved. They are proud to say that these products are all created in-house. “We created these [products] locally, no import goods involved”, said Dr. Edna Nisce, founder and chief dermatologist of Nisce Skin ‘n Face.
For ten years in dermatological line, they have already established a reputation in skin care. Among which is Dr. Skin that provides a total care for achieving healthy and beautiful skin. They also have Nisce Superblock with intense SPF 80. It’s non greasy and non- comedogenic or it does not clog pores.
For bulging fats, they have GlutaCurve and FitCurve. Not only that because they have Insect Away repellent. Moreover, Nisce cares for men as well that’s why Blaise was formulated for men are more prone to skin problems because they have more sensitive skin.
Nisce Skin ‘n Face does not only provide an excellent service among client but also changed the notion on skin clinics. They believe that being glamorous doesn’t have to be expensive. Men and women can have alternative means to be glamorous without compromising the quality. And that’s what Nisce Skin n’ Face is boasting of among other skin clinics.
Now on their 10th year, they have also launched a new brand ambassador, actress Bela Padilla, who embodies the fresh, highly approachable, and excellent service provided by Nisce in the skin care industry.
The beauty clinic is looking forward to a nationwide recognition from their humble beginnings in Northern Luzon to having 18 branches nationwide.
